"He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough."
-Lao-tzu

"Let what's important to you decorate your home - not clutter."
-Peter Walsh

"Comfort is perhaps the ultimate luxury."
-Billy Baldwin

What is Clutter?

Clutter is that which creates stress for you because of its
overabundance. There is physical clutter, but also mental, spiritual
and emotional clutter. It is not unusual for them to go hand-in-hand.

Clutter need be judged only in terms of how good or how
bad it makes you feel. Often one holds on to clutter with the
mistaken belief it offers them comfort or security. Yet, that is
rarely the case.

Some people want to let go of the clutter, but find that they
can’t. They fear being judged as lazy or incompetent, but that is
generally not the case. People cling to clutter for varied reasons,
which are often unclear to themselves. A psychotherapist can help
uncover these issues and free you from their control. A professional
organizer can help implement a decluttering and reorganizing
process. Clutter To Comfort offers both.

Levels of clutter range from mild to severe, just as the impacts
of cluttering can range from mild to severe:

The stressors endured by people living with clutter affect
relationships, health, performance and life satisfaction. The extent
of stress faced can become the motivation for change.

Change, however, is not without stress itself. People often
don’t know how or where to begin. Decluttering can be a challenge,
emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. This is
especially true when one feels a sense of pressure from others to
declutter.

Parting with One's Treasures

Clutterers initially may have great difficulty parting with
their “junk” (as perhaps perceived of by others, but which for them
may be “treasures”). This often comes in the form of denial, when
the clutterer refuses to “see” the problem. They may get quite angry
and agitated at another’s insistence on confronting the problem and
expectations that they must change. It can feel frightening to face.

When a decluttering process begins, the clutterer may initially
seem cooperative, but that can change as they begin to feel great
discomfort seeing their possessions being disposed of. This is when
many of the underlying emotional issues which caused the clutter
problem in the first place begin to arise. The clutterer may try to
bargain and justify. It is not uncommon for anxiety and depression
to peak at this point, not only for the clutterer, but for loved
ones as well. Instead of giving up out of frustration, it is helpful
to seek professional guidance to work through this stage.

It is very important to gently acknowledge the clutterer’s
feelings and gently affirm their ability to create a more pleasing
environment for themselves. It becomes important at this stage to
remind the person what their motivation is and what their ultimate
wish is for using the space.

Stages of Decluttering

Decluttering is done in stages and these stages are determined
by the style of the clutterer and their individual needs. The first
step is to do an assessment. This includes a walk-through of the
area, and getting the client’s perspective on what change is
desired. Questions and concerns are addressed, including time frames
and costs. Assessment includes finding out what is working and what
is not working; what the client likes and wants; and what the
client fears and doesn’t want. The next stage involves making a
general plan and making sure everyone involved is on board.

Generally the work or implementation stages include: clearing
out the clutter and determining what will be kept and what will
go; cleaning the space; and making the space suit the needs of its
occupants. Decisions are made regarding what to do with the items no
longer needed and those decisions are followed through
on. Information is provided on how to prevent the clutter from
recurring and follow-up appointments can be scheduled to assist in
making sure that the new patterns of behavior are reinforced.

The sorting process is often the most challenging. Depending on
the clutterer’s style, sorting can be done in as few as three steps
(keep, toss, donate) or as many as a dozen: keep (as is, clean
first, repair first); sell (garage sale, advertise using print
media, advertise online, consignment); garbage (recycle,
trash); return (to the store, library or another person); donate
(to the charity of one’s choice); or “just can’t decide.”

Simplifying Your Life

Decluttering is a process of welcoming a new sense of simplicity
into your life. Simplicity as a value recognizes that placing
importance on quality trumps placing importance on quantity. It is a
mental shift, that requires an emotional and behavioral shift as
well. Although initially it may not be easy to put into practice, as
with many things, it does become easier with time. With the
implementation of a cleaner, clearer environment, we come to realize
our inner self feels cleaner and clearer also. We begin to see that
true abundance lies in those things unseen, but rather, felt. True
abundance is not about accumulations, but rather
contentment. Clutter To Comfort is about helping you seek what
brings you true contentment.